Reform UK has won its first mayoral election, with Dame Andrea Jenkyns victorious in Greater Lincolnshire.
Born in Humberside, Dame Andrea previously served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood in West Yorkshire and has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills under Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, and then Liz Truss. When Rishi Sunak replaced Liz Truss after only 49 days in Number 10 Downing Street, Jenkyns left her role.
In the 2024 General Election, Jenkyns was one of the Conservative MPs to lose their seat, before announcing in November 2024 that she had left the Conservative Party to join Reform UK. It was at this point that it was confirmed that she would be standing as the Reform candidate in the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Election.
Jenkyns’ key campaign promises included plans to improve road and transport links around the county, growing skills, as well as driving innovation and job creation. Alongside this, she outlined plans for a USA-style ‘DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) Lincolnshire’ to try and lower taxes, increase transparency and increase local powers. Jenkyn’s campaign website also promotes a petition to halt solar developments on local agricultural land, with part of this including a push for renewable energy that prioritises non-agricultural sites for solar development.
Further elections are taking place around the country, with Mayors also being elected in the West of England, North Tyneside and Doncaster as of the time of writing, with all three going to Labour. In the West of England it was Helen Godwin that was elected to replace the outgoing Dan Norris, who was arrested in April this year. Karen Clark won out ahead of the Reform candidate in North Tyneside whilst in Doncaster, Ros Jones continued her hold of the position, which she took over in the 2013 election.
More results will continue to be announced as the day – and weekend – unfolds, and Public Sector Executive will work to bring you a roundup of the biggest results, across our website and social media pages.
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